Lamp unit for saddle-type vehicles

Abstract

This invention provides a lamp unit for a saddle-type vehicle that can illuminate the license plate over a wide area while simplifying the wiring and support structure. [Solution] The lamp unit 20 of the saddle-type vehicle disclosed herein is located at the rear end of the vehicle body. The lamp unit 20 comprises two license lamps 26, 26 spaced apart in the vehicle width direction, and rear lamps 28, 28 located outside each license lamp 26, 26 in the vehicle width direction. The license lamps 26 and the rear lamps 28 are housed in a common casing 30.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a lamp unit disposed at the rear of a saddle-type vehicle such as a motorcycle, for example.

Background Art

[0002] Lamps such as a turn signal lamp, a stop lamp, and a license lamp are disposed at the rear of a saddle-type vehicle such as a motorcycle (for example, Patent Document 1). In the saddle-type vehicle of Patent Document 1, the stop lamp and the license lamp are integrated to form a lamp unit. Thereby, the wiring and the support structure are simplified as compared with the case where the wiring of the stop lamp and the license lamp is laid separately.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the lamp unit of the saddle-type vehicle of Patent Document 1, the license lamp is disposed at the center in the vehicle width direction, and the stop lamp is disposed outside the license lamp in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, for example, it has been difficult to irradiate the entire license plate with light with respect to a license plate that is long in the vehicle width direction.

[0005] The disclosure of the present application provides a lamp unit for a saddle-type vehicle that can irradiate a license plate over a wide range while simplifying the wiring and the support structure.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A lamp unit for a saddle-type vehicle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a lamp unit for a saddle-type vehicle positioned at the rear end of the vehicle body, comprising two license lamps spaced apart in the vehicle width direction and a rear lamp positioned outside the license lamps in the vehicle width direction. The license lamps and the rear lamp are housed in a common casing. The rear lamp includes, for example, a turn signal lamp, a stop lamp, a position lamp, etc. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the lamp unit for the saddle-type vehicle of this disclosure, by providing two license plate lamps in the vehicle width direction and illuminating from two locations, the license plate can be illuminated over a wide area, and even long plates in the vehicle width direction can be suitably illuminated. Furthermore, since the license plate lamp and the rear lamp are housed in a common casing and integrated, there is no need to wire each lamp separately, simplifying the wiring and support structure. Thus, the lamp unit for the saddle-type vehicle of this disclosure can achieve both simplification of wiring and support structure and wide-area illumination of the license plate. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a side view showing the rear of a motorcycle, which is a type of saddle-type vehicle equipped with a lamp unit according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a rear view of the same motorcycle. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of the lamp unit. [Figure 4] This is a plan view of the lamp unit. [Figure 5] This is a close-up perspective view of the rear of the motorcycle. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Preferred embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, "right" and "left" refer to the "right" and "left" as seen from the perspective of a driver seated in the vehicle. In other words, the left-right direction coincides with the vehicle width direction. Also, "front" and "rear" refer to the "front" and "rear" in the direction of travel of the vehicle. In other words, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body coincides with the front-rear direction of the vehicle. In the vehicle width direction, the inner side in the vehicle width direction refers to the side toward the vehicle centerline extending in the front-rear direction, and the outer side in the vehicle width direction refers to the side away from the vehicle centerline.

[0010] Figure 1 shows the rear of a motorcycle, a type of saddle-type vehicle equipped with a ramp unit according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. The motorcycle body frame FR of this embodiment has a main frame 1 that constitutes the front half and a rear frame 2 that constitutes the rear half. The main frame 1 extends downward toward the rear from the head pipe 4 at the front end. The rear frame 2 extends upward toward the rear from the rear end of the main frame 1. The engine, which is the power source of the motorcycle, is supported on the body frame FR.

[0011] A pivot frame 4 is connected to the rear end of the main frame 1 and extends downward from the rear end of the main frame 1. The engine is positioned below the main frame 1 and in front of the pivot frame 4.

[0012] A pair of left and right swing arms 6 are supported on the pivot frame 4 so as to be able to swing up and down. A rear wheel 8 is attached to the rear end of each swing arm 6. Power from the engine E is transmitted to the rear wheel 8 via the power transmission member 10 shown in Figure 2, driving the rear wheel 8. The power transmission member 10 is, for example, a drive chain. However, the power transmission member 10 is not limited to a drive chain; for example, an endless belt such as a toothed belt may be used. An exhaust muffler 12 is located to the right of the rear wheel 8. The exhaust muffler 12 silences the exhaust from the engine E and discharges it to the outside.

[0013] As shown in Figure 1, the motorcycle of this embodiment further includes a rider's seat 14 on which the driver sits, a passenger's seat 16 on which a passenger sits, and a fuel tank 18 in which fuel for the engine E is stored. The fuel tank 18 is located above the engine E and in front of the rider's seat 14. In this embodiment, the rider's seat 14 and the passenger's seat 16 are separate components, but they may be integrated. Also, the passenger's seat 16 may be omitted.

[0014] A rear flap 22 is positioned at the rear end of the vehicle body. The rear flap 22 extends diagonally downward and rearward from the area below the passenger seat 16. A license plate 24 is attached to the tip of the rear flap 22.

[0015] The motorcycle of this embodiment is equipped with a rearview radar 25, indicated by a dashed line, at the rear end of the vehicle body. The rearview radar 25 detects objects approaching the vehicle body from the rear. When the rearview radar 25 detects the approach of an object, an alarm is displayed on the meter, rearview mirror, etc. The rearview radar 25 is located behind the passenger seat 16, in the center in the vehicle width direction, as shown in Figure 2. However, the placement of the rearview radar 25 is not limited to this, and for example, it may be attached to the rear flap 22. Also, the rearview radar 25 may be omitted.

[0016] A lamp unit 20 is positioned at the rear end of the motorcycle body shown in Figure 1. In this embodiment, the lamp unit 20 is attached to the rear flap 22. The lamp unit 20 is positioned above the license plate 24 and below the rearview radar 25.

[0017] As shown in Figure 3, the lamp unit 20 of this embodiment includes two license plate lamps 26 spaced apart in the vehicle width direction, and a rear lamp 28 positioned outside the license plate lamps 26 in the vehicle width direction. The rear lamps 28 are positioned outside each license plate lamp 26 in the vehicle width direction. In other words, there are also two rear lamps 28 spaced apart in the vehicle width direction.

[0018] These license lamps 26 and rear lamps 28 are housed in a common casing 30. That is, the license lamp 26 and the rear lamp 28 are housed inside the casing 30 and unitized (integrated) to constitute a lamp unit 20. By attaching the casing 30 to the vehicle body, the license lamp 26 and the rear lamp 28 are also attached to the vehicle body.

[0019] The license lamp 26 has a light emitting surface 26a on the lower surface of the casing 30 and emits light downward. As shown by the two-dot chain line L1 in FIG. 2, the license lamp 26 illuminates the license plate 24 below it.

[0020] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the rear lamp 28 includes a turn signal lamp 32 and a tail lamp 34. The turn signal lamp 32 and the tail lamp 34 are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction with the tail lamp 34 on the inner side. That is, inside the casing 30 of the lamp unit 20, the license lamp 26, the tail lamp 34, and the turn signal lamp 32 are arranged in this order from the inner side in the vehicle width direction.

[0021] In the present embodiment, a part of the turn signal lamp 32 and the tail lamp 34 overlap in the vertical direction. Specifically, a recess recessed outward in the vehicle width direction is formed at the inner end in the vehicle width direction of the turn signal lamp 32, and the outer end in the vehicle width direction of the tail lamp 34 is located within this recess. Thereby, since the light emitting region in the vehicle width direction increases, the visibility of the rear lamp 28 is improved. The shapes of the turn signal lamp 32 and the tail lamp 34 are not limited to this. For example, a recess recessed inward in the vehicle width direction may be provided at the outer end in the vehicle width direction of the tail lamp 34, and the inner end in the vehicle width direction of the turn signal lamp 32 may be arranged within this recess.

[0022] Thus, in this embodiment, a total of six lamps—two license lamps 26, two tail lamps 34, and two turn signal lamps 32—are housed inside the casing 30 of the lamp unit 20. However, the rear lamp 28 may consist of only one of either the turn signal lamps 32 or the tail lamps 34. In this case, four lamps are housed inside the casing 30 of the lamp unit 20.

[0023] The turn signal lamp 32 flashes to signal to vehicles and pedestrians behind when turning right or left. In this embodiment, the tail lamp 34 is a stop lamp 34 that lights up when the brakes are applied to alert vehicles behind.

[0024] Alternatively, the taillight 34 may be a position lamp that alerts vehicles and pedestrians behind the vehicle to its presence at night or in bad weather. Furthermore, the taillight 34 may be a lamp that serves as both a stop lamp and a position lamp.

[0025] As shown in Figure 4, the rear surface 30a of the casing 30, that is, the light-emitting surface 30a of the rear lamp 28, is inclined and extends forward toward the outside in the vehicle width direction. This improves the visibility of the rear lamp 28 not only from the rear but also from the rearward diagonal side.

[0026] In this embodiment, the license plate lamp 26 and the rear lamp 28 consist of LEDs (light-emitting diodes) and are mounted on a common substrate 36. That is, in this embodiment, six LEDs are mounted on one substrate 36. However, the substrate 36 may be divided into left and right sections. In this case, three LEDs are mounted on each of the left and right substrates. Alternatively, one LED may be mounted and light guided to the left and right lamps using a light guide plate.

[0027] Multiple cables 38 are bundled together and connected to a circuit board 36 with a single connector 40. The cables 38 are routed inside the rear flap 22 shown in Figure 1 and connected to the vehicle's control device (not shown).

[0028] As shown in Figure 3, the lamp unit 20 of this embodiment further includes a rear reflector 42 attached to the casing 30. In other words, the lamp unit 20 of this embodiment houses the license lamp 26, tail lamp 34, and turn signal lamp 32 in the casing 30, and the rear reflector 42 is attached to the casing 30 and integrated into the unit.

[0029] The rear reflector 42 is a reflective material that reflects light when illuminated by the headlights of a vehicle behind it, and also serves to indicate the presence of the vehicle when the lights are not on, such as when parked at night. The rear reflector 42 does not have to be attached to the casing 30. In other words, the rear reflector 42 may be provided separately from the lamp unit 20.

[0030] In this embodiment, the rear reflector 42 is positioned between two license plate lamps 26, 26 that are spaced apart in the vehicle width direction. More specifically, as shown in Figure 4, a recessed area 44 is formed between the two license plate lamps 26, 26, and the rear reflector 42 is positioned in this recess 44. However, the position of the rear reflector 42 is not limited to this, and may be, for example, below the turn signal lamps 32 or the brake lamps 34.

[0031] As shown in Figure 2, the size of the recess 44 in the vehicle width direction is approximately the same as, or slightly larger than, the size of the rearview radar 25 in the vehicle width direction. In vehicles that are not equipped with a rearview radar 25, the recess 44 may be omitted.

[0032] According to the above configuration, by providing two license lamps 26 in the vehicle width direction and illuminating from two locations, the license plate 24 can be illuminated over a wide area, and even long plates in the vehicle width direction can be suitably illuminated. Furthermore, since the license lamps 26 and the rear lamps 28 are housed in a common casing 30 and integrated, there is no need to wire each lamp separately, and the wiring and support structure are simplified. Thus, the lamp unit 20 of this disclosure can achieve both simplification of wiring and support structure and wide-area illumination of the license plate 24.

[0033] In this embodiment, the rear lamp 28 includes a stop lamp 34 and a turn signal lamp 32 located on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. With this configuration, the wiring and support structure are further simplified by integrating the turn signal lamp 32, stop lamp 34, and license lamp 26.

[0034] In this embodiment, the rear reflector 42 is attached to the casing 30 of the lamp unit 20. With this configuration, the casing 30 is also used for mounting the rear reflector 42, thus reducing the number of parts.

[0035] In this embodiment, the rear reflector 42 is positioned between two license plate lamps 26, 26 that are aligned in the vehicle width direction. This configuration allows for effective use of the space between the license plate lamps 26.

[0036] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, the license plate lamp 26 and the rear lamp 28 are made of LEDs and are mounted on a common circuit board 36. This configuration reduces the number of LED circuit boards and allows for the common use of the power supply circuit.

[0037] In this embodiment, the rear surface 30a of the casing 30 is inclined forward and extends outward in the vehicle width direction. This configuration allows the length of the casing 30 in the front-rear direction to be shortened, making the lamp unit 20 appear more compact.

[0038] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, a rearview radar 25 is provided at the rear end of the vehicle body, and a lamp unit 20 is positioned below the rearview radar 25. When a rearview radar 25 is provided, it is necessary to position the license plate 24 and the lamp unit 20 while avoiding the illumination range of the rearview radar 25. For example, if the license plate 24 and the lamp unit 20 are positioned below while avoiding the illumination range of the rearview radar 25, the rear flap 22 becomes larger.

[0039] In the above embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, a recessed area 44 is formed between the two license lamps 26, 26, with the recess facing forward. By providing such a recess 44, as shown in Figure 5, it is possible to prevent the lamp unit 20 from interfering with the illumination L2 of the rearview radar 25. In other words, the license plate 24 and the lamp unit 20 can be positioned to avoid the illumination L2 of the rearview radar 25.

[0040] Furthermore, by applying the lamp unit 20, which is provided with the recess 44, to models that do not have a rearview radar 25, parts can be standardized between models that have a rearview radar 25 and models that do not.

[0041] The lamp unit for the saddle-type vehicle of this disclosure includes the following embodiments 1 to 8. [Aspect 1] A ramp unit for a saddle-type vehicle, positioned at the rear end of the vehicle body, Two license plate lamps spaced apart in the width direction of the vehicle, The vehicle comprises a rear lamp positioned on the outside in the vehicle width direction of the aforementioned license lamp, A lamp unit for a saddle-type vehicle in which the license plate lamp and the rear lamp are housed in a common casing. [Aspect 2] In the lamp unit for a saddle-type vehicle described in Embodiment 1, the rear lamp is a lamp unit for a saddle-type vehicle that includes a turn signal lamp and a stop lamp. [Aspect 3] A lamp unit for a saddle-type vehicle according to embodiment 1 or 2, further comprising a rear reflector attached to the casing. [Aspect 4] A lamp unit for a saddle-type vehicle according to Embodiment 3, wherein the rear reflector is positioned between the two license lamps. [Aspect 5] A lamp unit for a saddle-type vehicle according to any one of embodiments 1 to 4, wherein the license lamp and the rear lamp are made of LEDs and are mounted on a common circuit board. [Aspect 6] A ramp unit for a saddle-type vehicle according to any one of embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the rear surface of the casing extends forward and inclined toward the outside in the vehicle width direction. [Aspect 7] A lamp unit for a saddle-type vehicle according to any one of embodiments 1 to 6, wherein a recessed area is formed between the two license lamps, the lamp unit for a saddle-type vehicle having a recessed area that is recessed forward. [Aspect 8] The lamp unit described in Embodiment 7, It is equipped with a rearview radar that detects objects approaching from behind, A saddle-type vehicle in which the lamp unit is positioned below the rearview radar.

[0042] This disclosure is not limited to the above-described forms, and various additions, modifications, or deletions are permitted without departing from the gist of this disclosure. The ramp unit 20 of this disclosure can also be applied to saddle-type vehicles other than motorcycles, such as tricycles, quadruple buggies, etc. Therefore, such vehicles are also included within the scope of this disclosure. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0043] 20 Lamp Units 25 Rearview Radar 26 License plate lamp 28 Rear lamp 30 Casing 30a Rear of the casing 32 Turn signal lamps (rear lamps) 34 Stop lamp (rear lamp) 36 circuit boards 42 Rear reflector 44 recess

Claims

1. A ramp unit for a saddle-type vehicle, positioned at the rear end of the vehicle body, Two license plate lamps spaced apart in the width direction of the vehicle, The vehicle comprises a rear lamp positioned on the outside in the vehicle width direction of the aforementioned license lamp, A lamp unit for a saddle-type vehicle in which the license plate lamp and the rear lamp are housed in a common casing.

2. A lamp unit for a saddle-type vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the rear lamp is a lamp unit for a saddle-type vehicle including a turn signal lamp and a stop lamp.

3. A lamp unit for a saddle-type vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a rear reflector attached to the casing.

4. A lamp unit for a saddle-type vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the rear reflector is positioned between the two license lamps.

5. A lamp unit for a saddle-type vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the license lamp and the rear lamp are made of LEDs and are mounted on a common circuit board.

6. A lamp unit for a saddle-type vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rear surface of the casing extends forward and inclined toward the outside in the vehicle width direction.

7. A lamp unit for a saddle-type vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a recessed area is formed between the two license lamps, the lamp unit for a saddle-type vehicle having a recessed area that is recessed forward.

8. The lamp unit according to claim 7, It is equipped with a rearview radar that detects objects approaching from behind, A saddle-type vehicle in which the lamp unit is positioned below the rearview radar.

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